By AgroNigeria
Kano State Government has hinted that it is on a stride to exceed local demand for rice, after the state’s production capacity hit three million tonnes in one year.
The state government said that custom-tailored agricultural policies targeted at upheaving productivity in the state, helped it achieve this feat.
Speaking at the launch of the indigenous value-chain promotion programme organized by the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, stated that his administration championed the course in order to increase post-harvest yield and build the capacity of farmers.
“Today, I am proud to state that because of the activities and policies of his administration towards agriculture.
“Rice production in Kano has reached the level of three million tonnes a year,” were the words of the governor who was represented by his deputy and State Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Nasiru Gawuna.
According to Ganduje, prior to his reign, rice production yielded very low outcome, adding that his administration has upscaled production by over 75 percent.
Ganduje lauded the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for assisting farmers via the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme. He said about 127,000 farmers in Kano state have benefited from the initiative since inception.
The governor also hit back at critics of government’s policies, who were in the business of peddling false statistics regarding the Kano state agricultural policies.
“We, in the sector and the farmers know very well about the good impacts of those policies on agricultural development. When these programmes started, state governments were in contact with farmers to examine this change.
“Associations become active which means farmers have come to identify with the policies of the government and what the government wants the farmers to do is to accept the policies and advise on how to do its best,” he said.
On his part, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono who was represented by the Kano State chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Farouk Rabi’u Mudi expressed delight at the state’s feat in rice production.
“Kano state in general, in rice production, is the highest in Nigeria because over 400,000 hectares are being produced in Kano alone,” the minister added.
